Premium Members Michael Desiderio Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Just curious if anyone uses a little liquid tape to help cover up any fraying connector ends on cables and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 I usually prefer shrink tubing but liquid electrical tape is good stuff for those pesky times when you cant get the shrink tubing where you need it. Just keep in mind that it isnt as easy to undo so if you use it on something like a connector you may not be able to undo it as easily to fix a problem. Also it can be messy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Michael, if your cables ends are fraying, you may want to do more than put some glue on them. Are your solder joints breaking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Michael Desiderio Posted November 14, 2013 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Michael, if your cables ends are fraying, you may want to do more than put some glue on them. Are your solder joints breaking? Well, I suppose I would say it's more the ground cabling poking out of the connector rather than the actual cable itself fraying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've had that problem: too much slack in the cable, and it starts to show behind the collar. It's impossible to get shrink tubing on without re-soldering. Sometimes I'll put a bit of hot glue or wrap a bit of electrical tape around the end of the cable jacket. I try to put just enough on so that the crimp can catch on the cable once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Michael Desiderio Posted November 14, 2013 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've had that problem: too much slack in the cable, and it starts to show behind the collar. It's impossible to get shrink tubing on without re-soldering. Sometimes I'll put a bit of hot glue or wrap a bit of electrical tape around the end of the cable jacket. I try to put just enough on so that the crimp can catch on the cable once again. Yeah heat shrink tubing would be greaaaat if the lemo connector wasn't 4x the circumference of the cable going into it. So you think liquid electrical tape by itself is a bit too permanent ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 It depends on what you are trying to accomplish, I guess. Are you trying to just cover the fraying ends so they don't snag, or are you trying to get the frayed ends to stay inside the lemo's collar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Tom Wills Posted November 14, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 I wouldn't recommend liquid electrical tape. What you're experiencing with the shield of the cable coming out of the connector is a mechanical issue, not an electrical one. Liquid electrical tape won't help you much in that regard, it'll just insulate the wire. A few ideas - first of all, I've found you generally can heat shrink the wires going into a LEMO connector, if you take the connector shell off and stretch the heat shrink. For those who don't know that trick yet, all you do is take a pair of needle nose pliers, or other similar device, put the heat shrink over the end, and then pry the pliers open gently, then release the tension, turn the heat shrink, and repeat. Generally, if you're slow and careful, you can stretch good quality heat shrink tubing to about 150% of its original diameter, and it will still shrink down readily. That should allow you to get it over the internal connector bits, shrink it, and then reassemble the connector. If that's not an option, or that still doesn't logistically work, there is something I would recommend that I use for strain relieving cables and insulating them. It's "Rescue Tape" or other brands of self-sealing non-adhesive tape. I actually used it on your and Kyle's Flyer mod that I did for you. It's a tape that sticks to itself, and holds on to both rubber cable and metal connectors very well. I've used it to strain relieve a bunch of LEMO connectors I have made, and so far in several years, none have had issues. Might be worth having a roll of it in your kit. Link for Rescue Tape: http://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Tape-Self-Fusing-Silicone-Length/dp/B000ZTK6CI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Peter Abraham Posted November 17, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I love how we all have our own take on this kind of issue. I personally am a big fan of liquid electrical tape for certain situations. I use it when assembling the Zalex™ Tally Light Systems I sell. The trick seems to be to NOT go too thin. A very thin schmear cannot be removed easily. On the other hand, with a bit of practice, I can now apply a layer not too thin, but not very goopy. It sets well and does the job- and can be sliced away with an X-Acto knife and a needle nosed pliers. Using a very small cheap watercolor brush is useful. Using the big thick brush attached inside of the lid gives no finesse or control to the application at all. I don't always use it as a replacement for real shrink tubing, but it surely has its place. My two cents ! Best to all, Peter Abraham, S.O.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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